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Copenhagen by Caravan
by Anthony Robin

It is a little unusual to use a caravan on one’s own, but I have been doing this for some years now, including several trips to Europe in this way. In the past I had gone as far as Rome, Prague and Berlin. Most recently, last Autumn I drove from Calais, to Copenhagen, via Antwerp, Hamburg, Kolding and returned on a slightly different route via Hannover, Venlo and Brussels. I find it a convenient way of visiting places up to about 2,000 km away. The aeroplane is, of course, much quicker, but I think it is a bit like only using the tube to travel about in London; one has no idea of how the places fit together. Often, I find, one sees things incidentally, which are just as interesting as those of one’s chosen destination. A caravan is a bit like having a holiday home, but unlike a cottage, different places can be visited on each holiday. With mains electricity available almost everywhere, it becomes almost like a small flat with all the comforts of home. I even take a microwave oven with me, which can even be used as a kettle to boil water, as often Continental sites restrict consumption to 6 amps, unlike the 16 amps normally available in the UK.

A few pieces of practical information for those who may be considering such a holiday. Caravans are not difficult to tow, but they should weigh less than the towing car (85% limit is often recommended). The acceleration is much less than for the ordinary car, but the maximum allowed speed of 60 mph can be comfortably maintained on motorways. I find fuel consumption is about a third more than normal (about 35 mpg, as compared with 50mpg, 1.9 litre Turbo diesel engine). The bow wave turning effect from overtaking lorries (legally they are also restricted to 60 mph) can take a bit of getting used to at first. Much of the motorway from Hamburg up to Kolding was only two lanes each way, and lorries and caravans were not allowed to overtake. This allowed the very fast cars to proceed without restriction, and made the journey more comfortable by removing the overtaking lorries. Interestingly it only seemed to reduce the speed of the `slow' lane to about 55 mph.

Camp sites are very numerous in Europe, and whilst they are not normally signposted from the motorways, one does not usually have to travel too far to find signs on an ordinary road. The first time I went, I wrote and tried to book at all the places I wished to stay. Whilst some replied, some did not, and so I do not book anymore. Some do not take bookings anyway. Clearly if travelling at the peak times, and if you want specific facilities which are not available everywhere, then it may be necessary to book. Facilities do vary tremendously, as does the cost, which can be as little as about £5 per night, and a typical price of £10 per person per night might be useful for budgeting purposes. Also if one has booked, then it is necessary to find that site; often there are others more convenient on the way. If travelling outside the main holiday season (roughly Easter to October half term), many are closed, but there are always some open all the year around. One such site is in Calais, within full view of the docks, although a couple of miles by road. Despite the tunnel, there is still a lot of traffic going this way, just as one ferry leaves another arrives.

For anyone new to this type of holiday, staying there a couple of nights might help acclimatise to the differences. For those who do wish to travel further on their first day, the motorways connect directly to the docks, in the three main directions, namely towards Belgium (E), Paris (S) and Boulogne (W). I have driven quite a lot on the Continent, both with and without the caravan.

I have never found it difficult driving on the other side, but one does have to be careful with the ‘Priority from the Right’ rule. Main roads are marked with the yellow squares orientated sidewards, showing that it has priority as in the UK. In the UK there are always road markings to show which road has priority. However in towns, especially in France and Belgium, there are often junctions which have roads going all over the place, and with no markings. It is rather like having mini-roundabouts all over, but instead of having priority when on the roundabout, one has priority to join it.

Denmark and Sweden do not use the Euro, still using krone, with each country having different ones of slightly different values. With Euros and US dollars being so widely acceptable, I never mind having some of these left over after a visit, but with other currencies, they are useless elsewhere and so one does have to balance what is required. For medium and large purchases, credit cards are widely accepted and in some cases even for quite small amounts. No doubt short-term visitors to the UK also find this rather annoying. In France, credit cards are acceptable in most places, but some garages without a human assistant had automatic machines that did not accept non-French cards. This could be awkward late at night or at weekends, especially as they did not have machines accepting the currency

First published in VISA issue 61 (June 2005)